The Shakers

Zach Cutts, Mason Howard, Ranae Damer, Emily Hennenfent, and Becka Williamson

1. When it existed

• England began in 1747; United States began in 1774

2. Who was the leader

• Mother Ann Lee

3. List 3 beliefs of the group

• believed in personal communication with a god that was both male and female
• believed in the ability to find and give voice to the Inner Light
• believed everything had male and female components

4. 2 reasons why they failed

• had a hard time competing in the industrialized economy that followed the Civil War
• because of the prosperity falling converts were hard to come by, causing communities to fail and close

5. 3 other interesting facts about the community

• believed that God was bisexual
• they thought of work as an act of worship and are still revered for their fine craftsmanship
• sympathized with the Union because Lincoln exempted male Shakers from military service, but they fed and cared for both Union and Confederate soldiers

6. 2 similarities to the community in The Giver

• everyone worked in the community
• everyone was abstinent

7. 2 difference between the community in The Giver

• The Giver didn't have a god
• The Shakers had all the women live in one house and men in another

http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/shaker/shakers.htm
http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/shakers
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/hns/cities/shakers.html
http://www.essortment.com/all/theshakersreli_rggy.htm
http://www.pathsdevotion.com/christianity/shakers.html